Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Crocodile Alert in Thailand as Reptiles Escape Farms in Floods

Source: Mumbai MirrorBangkok: The Thai Department of Fisheries has warned that crocodiles bred in illegal reptile farms have been escaping from their confinement due to floods encompassing much of the central provinces. It further warned that the reptile — unused to a natural environment — may look for food in all the “wrong” places.An unspecified number of crocodile farms, both legal and illegal, are located in the flood-ravaged central Thailand provinces, which have been battered by severe floods this year. The escaped reptiles are likely to approach humans because they are used to being fed at the farms, according to Fisheries Department director-general Charanthada Kannasut.Kannasut advised villagers not to walk or travel by boat in flooded areas at night in order to avoid from being attacked by hungry crocodiles. Those who see crocodiles at large, should inform the authorities immediately, he advised. Meanwhile, he warned that a number of crocodiles from unregistered crocodile farms have escaped from inundated farms and are still roaming free in canals and rivers.